Digital Bath
by emication
Summary: Earth was destroyed by mankind, so an OS was created to temporarily sustain life on Earth. But now, the planet has healed and a team of revolutionists must brings things back to the way they were before.
1. Part 1

+Title: Digital Bath - Part 1  
+Author: Vinyl Koneko (Emily), roguegirl@att.net  
+Rating: R  
+Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 5xM, 13x11, 6x9, R+1, H+2  
+Warnings: AU, yaoi, cyberpunk, possible lime in a later part  
+Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing because if I did I'd get rich auctioning it off on eBay... LOL, just kidding. I'd keep them for myself to make videos and become the real Sabintha. ^_~  
+Notes: //Thought//, *emphasis*. Some ideas may seem similar to "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson, "The Matrix", and "Digimon", but I swear that isn't what I'm going for. "Digital Bath" is a song by The Deftones.  
  
*~**~*  
  
Computers are easier to get along with than humans. This is a simple fact that needs little or no explanation. Computers are, essentially, all programmed to be the same; each one doesn't have its own particular needs to be seen after. Computers don't care whether you love them or not; they just mindlessly serve, performing function after function after function until they die.  
  
That's not to say humans *should* behave that way; it would just be easier. Then there wouldn't be so many green users walking around in the LSOS, trying to be like everyone else, trying to look "in with it". As far as I'm concerned, they're all just a bunch of brats trying to fit in where they don't belong. Teeny boppers in a hackers' paradise.  
  
The LSOS, short for Life Simulating Operating System, is huge, each in-port spaced 256 kilometers apart, subdivided into 256 more ports one kilometer apart. That's a lot of ways for another user to enter the system, and a lot of ways for them to leave. Why 256 only hackers can understand; it's the power of 2^8, and even that 8 is the power of 2^3, so when you get down to it, that's a lot of 2s.  
  
But the newbies don't understand. They don't understand that they're walking around as a pixilated avatar because the real world isn't habitable anymore. Humans drove their once green, lush planet to near extinction, a sulfuric mass of volcanoes and ash. The surface area of Earth was severely reduced, forcing mankind to adapt by creating suits that projected their likeness into a digital world where there's plenty of space, fresh air, and food. Everything's electronic. Understanding the LSOS is the very difference between extinction and survival. You understand how to manipulate the program, and you can become rich.  
  
If you know how, you can alter your own avatar. In the real world, our bodies are put in bodysuits that scan every detail, feeding it into the LSOS to project into the system. Your brain waves control your actions while these suits control your appearance. I know this because I can get through the system, learning what is really going on. I didn't alter my avatar, but there didn't seem to be a purpose. When I learned that the LSOS wasn't the real world, I, as the metaphor goes, had bigger fish to fry.   
That's where the hackers came in.  
  
Those of us that wanted to know the truth stuck around, while those who could care less went off, altering their avatars and making themselves millionaires off of programming homes, cars, puppies - you name it, they make it. We can't get in trouble because nobody cares. It's called being successful.  
  
The Pit was the first establishment for hackers, and only those who helped in writing it are granted access. The teenyboppers gather around outside, begging and pleading to gain admittance, but they all just get shoved aside or passed right through. They have their own nightclubs; it's ridiculous how much people want to be a exception to a rule. Give them a law and everyone will want to break it.  
  
One male, I'd guess around seventeen, is standing directly in front of the entrance, cigarette held between his fingers and puffing away like some damned chimney. Almost everyone smokes nowadays. When we lived outside, smoking was considered unhealthy; it actually killed people. Now it's just making his brain smell the burning paper and taste the tar and nicotine, creating an illusion that, no matter how real it seems, isn't turning his lungs to black dust the way it used to.  
  
If it weren't for the fact that our brains can only run for so long before dying, we'd almost be immortal.  
  
"Hey, Heero!"  
  
I turn my head, nodding briefly in greeting as Quatre hurries over. Quatre's a decent enough programmer. He was in the group of four that started things out around here. He just took advantage of it more than I did. Quatre hangs around for the hacking and the profit. He'd program anything the consumers could dream of. He soon got more and more programmers working for him, and now, Quatre never has to do any of the programming himself because there are so many people under his digital payroll.  
  
"Trowa and Wufei are out back."  
  
The aforementioned are the other two members of our little group. Trowa manages The Pit, making sure only those allowed in actually get in. Quatre brings in enough money to support the two of them for a hundred lifetimes. I think he likes it on some level, knowing to those kids outside he clarifies the difference between heaven and hell, but they don't see it to that extreme. They just feel left out of something bigger than their understanding.  
  
Wufei, like myself, earns a living the way the rest of society does: a real job. Real jobs in LSOS are, I'd imagine, the same as they were before we destroyed our planet. Teenagers and the unskilled working at fast food chains and retail stores, low income, low liability jobs that would give them enough money for maybe two meals a day and a full tank of gas every three weeks or so, less if their car had shitty fuel economy. Those that are more advanced climb to the top, managers or specialists of some sort. Wufei's a teacher. I commend his courage in dealing with the green users on a constant basis.   
  
I prefer jobs with more privacy and free time to complete all my hacking, currently placed as night watch at a bank. It's boring as all hell and the hours take you some time to get used to, but I altered my avatar to never require sleep to function. The hours give me a lot of free time to break into the programming systems of LSOS undetected. Using a government Internet jack is the best way for whoever is watching to think that you are supposed to be allowed in.  
  
"The damn teeny boppers are clogging the streets, as usual." Wufei's irritability bore a strong contrast to Trowa's mild countenance. The Chinese man seems quick to anger to those who don't understand, but Quatre coined another word for it. Passionate.   
  
"They won't be a problem to us much longer," Quatre pointed out, and all of a sudden I felt like I had missed something.  
  
"Why are they no longer a problem?"  
  
Quatre smiled as his eyes seemed to be saying I-can't-believe-you-of-all-people-don't-know. "A new hacker has appeared in the system, one we haven't heard of before. It seems that he has perfected a program that kills avatars, going back through their IP addresses so the user can never return."  
  
I blinked. There was no way a new hacker could pass by my attention. I know the signature marks of every single hacker we have registered, and no new signatures came up when I was researching finished projects. I should notice - especially if it was causing avatars to end up dead. "What's wrong with that?" It's hard to look at the pixilated forms I see and understand that back on Earth they are real humans like myself. There's a difference between knowing it and seeing it.  
  
"It isn't good for business. Users won't come out of their homes if they think someone is going to kill them. Earth used to have murder and disease, but the only thing killing us here is age. It'll cause a panic."  
  
"I still don't see the problem. If he found a way to program murder we should be able to beat him at his own game."  
  
"That may be so, but the users will be afraid." Trowa looked up at me, expression unchanging. "It's inevitable, no matter how quickly we act. Fear leads to more problems; the system is unstable as it is. A riot could cause a system shut down, locking up our brains and destroying us all."  
  
"Or maybe it'll wake us all up and we can heal the Earth back to the way things were before." I frowned. "How do you know about him, anyway? I haven't noticed any glitches yet."  
  
"He told us himself," Wufei's face was turning red. "He came in and told us."  
  
"What do you mean he came in? New hackers need to add the permission code to their avatars before they're able to enter The Pit!"  
  
"Heero," Quatre was rubbing his temples, "this guy is good. He was able to find the code and place it in his avatar; you know how securely hidden that fragment is because you encoded it yourself!"  
  
I was sporadically clenching and unclenching my fists under the table. This hacker was trying to undermine me by accomplishing everything most hackers deemed impossible. I'm known as the best and now someone else is trying to take that title away from me. "What's his name?"  
  
Quatre's mouth was set in a grim line. "He calls himself the God of Death."  
  
*~**~*  
  
End Part 1 


	2. Part 2

+Title: Digital Bath - Part 2  
+Author: Vinyl Koneko (Emily), roguegirl@att.net  
+Rating: R  
+Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 5xM, 13x11, 6x9, R+1, H+2  
+Warnings: AU, yaoi, cyberpunk, possible lime in a later part  
+Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing because if I did I'd get rich auctioning it off on eBay... LOL, just kidding. I'd keep them for myself to make videos and become the real Sabintha. ^_~  
+Notes: //Thought//, *emphasis*. Some ideas may seem similar to "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson, "The Matrix", and "Digimon", but I swear that isn't what I'm going for. "Digital Bath" is a song by The Deftones.  
  
*~**~*  
  
The club is dark and foggy, air thick with music as well as the scent of alcohol and nicotine. It's not always like this; this particular club being the kind we call a chameleon, shifting constantly to suit the needs of the users. Tomorrow it'll be a bowling alley - the day after, a daycare. There are several like it in every town, more in each major city. They suit purposes as the times change. Nothing around here is ever permanent.  
  
Chameleons are the perfect places to find people constantly on the move. Every avatar walks into one at least once, and when they do, the sensors pick up everything from name to shoe size to approximated ethnic origin. If you can get into the system, you can look up everything that a particular user did in the chameleon and when the program will re-shift to that particular setting.  
  
It's easier to work in the nightclub; I can blend in with the shadows easier than anything more sterile, and the constant roar of voice and sound keeps my typing down a level from that which is picked up by the microphones.  
  
I search for any string matching "God of Death". The system not only takes the string I type but translates it countless times, translating back any alien information that I might be interested in. This is how the operators - hacker term for our government - catch terrorists and foreign dictators. Terrorists nowadays aren't capable of reaching the potential they had back before we became pixilated. Terrorism is illegal just to stick to tradition; the worst they can do now is smash your pumpkins on Halloween. Bombings and hijackings and assassinations are over.  
  
One match comes up within the last week, the next hundred ranging from several months to decades ago. I don't even bother glancing at the rest. People have no reason to fear death anymore since it only comes in one form. I click on the most recent file, bringing it up on the monitor. It's a video file taken from the last time this chameleon was the same club approximately nine days ago.  
  
The figure appeared to be a few inches taller than myself, leaned up into the shadows so I couldn't see his face. His arms were across his chest as he appeared to be talking to a girl, hair long and platinum blonde, practically reaching the floor. I copied the frame, transferring the file over to a different program that would allow me to get more details that the poor lighting hid from my view. It took a matter of seconds for the details to start pouring out, and I nearly gasped out in surprise.  
  
I could see now from the way his clothes fit that his lithe frame still held the promise of strength, speed, and agility. High cheekbones, full lips twisted into an amused smirk, and wide, indigo eyes with long, dark lashes gave him an almost effeminate beauty while being purely male. Jagged chestnut bangs fell down to his eyes, the rest of his hair pulled back into a braid which had to be nearly four feet long. I could only tell this because in his posture against the wall he was wrapping the end around a finger as he spoke to the woman.   
  
I did a search in the avatar database, coming up with matches for both users on the screen. The woman was one Dorothy Catalonia; I had heard of her before in The Pit, but I couldn't place the context her name had been used in. The other was one Duo Maxwell, his name alone catching my attention immediately. Hackers pride in the number two, and if Duo's name was intentional or not, it was a strange coincidence. He had to be the one we were looking for.  
  
I tracked his habits in the chameleon. He and the Dorothy woman would show up when the program was running this particular club and leave with people who were in capable of being found in the system afterwards. I looked up to scan the crowd, becoming more alert in the hope that I hadn't missed them. In someway I hoped he would already know I was here and would be looking for me.   
  
I decided to move around, going over towards the bar. It should be a better vantage point, occupying the upper level to look down on the booths and dance floor. I was above the glare of the lights and the fog, able to make out more detail than the shadows of people that were walking through the smoke. A long braid cutting through the air caught my eye, drawing my attention down to the floor below. I saw the familiar face, looking up at me. When our eyes met, Duo smiled haughtily - winking as if we both shared the same secret - before disappearing into the shadows.  
  
"Wait!" I barely heard myself call out, but I had no idea why. The noise was so much that he wouldn't have heard me. I couldn't figure out why all of a sudden I wanted to meet Duo Maxwell, the God of Death, so much. I drew in a sharp breath when I felt hands on my hips and a smooth tenor voice moving air past my ear.  
  
"Heero Yuy, I've been waiting so long to meet you."  
  
I couldn't tell if this was a good thing or not. "What do you want?" I scowled, tense under his touch. This was a man who'd found a way to kill avatars. I didn't want him to have the upper hand.  
  
"Do you want to learn the truth about the system?"  
  
I already knew the truth. Man had overused Earth and her resources, so the LSOS was created, keeping people in suits hooked to computers to live their whole lives in a pixilated state of obliviousness. I told him this, getting a humored laugh in response.  
  
  
"Yes, but don't you want to *see* it?"  
  
My eyes narrowed. "How?"  
  
"Simple." Duo's voice was getting softer and I found myself straining to hear him, moving my ear closer to his mouth. "Let me free you has I have freed others."  
  
"You mean let you kill me and laugh about my gullibility."  
  
I could feel his braid striking my arm as he shook his head. "You and your people have it all wrong. Only to the system are you truly dead, but you may return anytime you wish. The operators in the real world want to start bringing people back to Earth; they think she's healed enough to try again. So they sent me to start bringing people home."  
  
"I don't believe you," I announced, motioning to twist out of Duo's grasp but he placed a hand on my shoulder. I closed my eyes, clenching my fists slightly.  
  
"If you don't believe me," he began, "let me show you." He placed his other hand on my shoulder, lips moving to form words I couldn't make out, and in a flash of light we were standing in a large forest, surrounded by a myriad of different shades of green. "I'm transmitting images from my mind to yours of how Earth looks now." The forest moved, spinning away to be replaced by an ocean, rocky jetties poking out from the shore as porpoises swam along, leaping in the air. The image spun again, becoming the devastated ruins of a once grand city, skyscrapers fallen to the ground like pieces of lumber. The final spin brought forward a large building that seemed to go as far underground as it did above. We entered a room at a running pace, seeing all the people lying in their digitizing suits, sensors collecting and measuring their brainwaves to translate into binary in the LSOS. The server took up the middle of the room, five old men looking at different charts that were spewed out and making adjustments when they required. The view turned, running back towards the people, stopping in front of one particular form.  
  
I was confused. Was I supposed to know who this person was?  
  
"Heero," Duo prodded from where he held my arm, standing beside me. "That's you."  
  
The realization made me stumble, falling back into the club as Duo released the illusion, watching me as I panted for air, crouched on the floor with my elbows resting on my knees, fingers rubbing at my temples. I had known the truth, but as I said before, seeing it and knowing it were two completely different terms.  
  
"Who were those men?" I asked when I found my voice again.  
  
"The doctors," Duo replied simply. "They pretty much run the show. I think they have since the beginning." He snorted. "Demanding old geezers but they are keeping mankind alive."  
  
"Why..." I hesitated, trying to place why my avatar looked so different from myself in the real world. "Why don't I look like me?"  
  
Duo thought for a moment. "You're younger in the real world. Since your brain never rests, it gets old and tired faster. The doctors have it programmed that you age faster in the LSOS; that's why the year is shorter in the system than on Earth, but only the hackers know some of the truth about Earth."  
  
"How old am I really?"  
  
"How old are you here?"  
  
"Twenty-one."  
  
"You're just about sixteen. There's about a twenty-five percent age difference."  
  
The question was did I really want to see what the real world was like? My life had been learning the program and manipulating it so that I would benefit. I never thought or even wished to go back to Earth. The system was safer, but I was curious as to what something real felt like. Virtual reality can only imitate the real thing so well. Then I realized why Duo was taking part in this, bearing upon himself the title of the God of Death when he really wasn't killing people at all; he was letting them experience something real, no matter how much harder or more dangerous it would become. It wasn't the risk of him killing the avatars. It was the risk of the people dying once they are released into an unfamiliar world that our ancestors had nearly killed off for good.  
  
"Maxwell, are we done here?" Dorothy stood over us, blowing a piece of hair away from her eyes and wearing an aggravated expression.  
  
Duo looked at me; my thoughts were flying through my head too quickly to form any sort of feedback that would let him know whether or not I would leave the system. But he had said it would be possible for me to return; it was under what circumstances that I wasn't aware of.  
  
"All right," I stood carefully, leaning against the guardrail over looking the smoke and lights. "I'll go."  
  
Duo's expression brightened, and Dorothy looked like she wouldn't care either way. "Great!" The former grabbed my hand, pulling me out of the club with Dorothy lighting a cigarette in our wake. "Just a couple things to keep in mind when you wake up. Earth's population isn't that big yet, it'll take your body some time to get it's strength up to what you're used to, and don't open your eyes until we say you can on the risk of permanent blindness."  
  
I nodded, following Duo dumbly. I still had no clue as to what I was getting myself into; there was just no way I could have been prepared for it.  
  
*~**~*  
  
End Part 2 


	3. Part 3

+Title: Digital Bath - Part 3  
+Author: Vinyl Koneko (Emily), roguegirl@att.net  
+Rating: R  
+Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 5xM, 13x11, 6x9, R+1, H+2  
+Warnings: AU, yaoi, cyberpunk, possible lime in a later part  
+Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing because if I did I'd get rich auctioning it off on eBay... LOL, just kidding. I'd keep them for myself to make videos and become the real Sabintha. ^_~  
+Notes: //Thought//, *emphasis*. Some ideas may seem similar to "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson, "The Matrix", and "Digimon", but I swear that isn't what I'm going for. "Digital Bath" is a song by The Deftones.  
  
*~**~*  
  
All I could see was darkness was a round circle of light, appearing red through my eyelids. I had to keep my eyes closed, as Duo instructed, but even then the light still burned. Every now and then the light source would get momentarily obstructed by a passing shadow, and I couldn't help but wonder if it were caused by trees moving in the wind or people walking by. I heard murmuring, but it seemed to echo. I couldn't tell how close or far away the people were.  
  
"Who's there?" I attempted to call out, mentally wincing at the harshness of my voice. My real vocal chords have been unused for so long that they were probably starting to deteriorate.  
  
"Calm down, boy, we're here to get you in shape." The voice was old and gravelly. It had to be one of the doctors.  
  
"Who are you? Where's Duo?" My voice hitched at the last syllable, and I knew that I shouldn't speak anymore. I just had to hope that the old man would answer all my questions without further prompting.  
  
"Duo's upstairs. He knows not to bother me when I'm working; my name's Doctor J, and I'll be bringing your body to its minimum requirement of proper functionality. It'll take a few days to get your muscles into working order, so just relax."  
  
I felt electrodes being attached to my skin, seeming to go everywhere. I heard J pad over to the over side of the room, flipping a switch, and I had to bit my tongue to keep from crying out in pain. Hundreds of bolts of electricity were pouring into my muscles, causing them to quake and shudder, quickly causing the familiar burn from too intense of a workout.  
  
"Relax, Heero; don't fight it or you'll tear something."  
  
I wanted to open my eyes, rip off the electrodes and find someplace dark and quiet that didn't assault my senses, but I came here willingly and others had done this before me. I could manage. I needed to if I wanted to live on Earth, to be free of the confines of the system.  
  
My last conscious thought was me wondering what Duo looked like out of the system before I let the darkness engulf me, tearing me away from the pain.  
  
*~**~*  
  
I jolted awake, pushing myself off the bed into a sitting position, and then proceeded to curse at myself for doing that. My pupils didn't shrink back from the light that was streaming in through the curtains. How long have I been here?  
  
I stood up, slowly making my way towards the window. I was able to support myself, watching my legs uneasily, waiting for them to collapse out from under me like those of a newborn foal, but that never happened. I felt smaller, still, and caught my reflection in a mirror on the way to the window. That's right. I'm sixteen again. A pair of navy blue sweatpants, the only garment I happened to be wearing, became the object of my interest. They felt soft. I stretched around, reading the label. Cotton. We had cotton garments in the system, but they never actually felt like this. The constant feeling of the bodysuits from the real world had been the only material we could sense, even when our avatars were completely undressed. The bodysuits felt stiff, tight, and constraining. This cotton was soft, warm, and flexible.  
  
Laughing outside drew me back to my original goal. I crossed the last meter to the window, surprised to see a group of teenagers outside playing kickball. I frowned. As far as he could tell they were all women. Wasn't Duo on Earth as well?  
  
"I thought I'd bring you something to eat." I turned to see a girl with shoulder-length blonde hair in a pink skirt holding a tray. She set the meal down on a table, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear in a manner I would've called self-conscious if it weren't for the fact that she held herself in such a poised manner. "My name's Relena Darlian. You don't need to introduce yourself. I already know that you're Heero Yuy."  
  
"How many others are here?" I asked.   
  
"Seventeen including yourself, myself, and the doctors. We just need three more Specialists before we can start bringing in the ordinary people."  
  
"Specialists?" I felt like a four-year-old, asking so many questions that I felt I should already know the answers to.  
  
She blinked repetitively, as if I should have known. "The people who are going to help rebuild Earth. We need a government before any further actions can take place."  
  
Sitting down at the chair and staring curiously at the meal, I thought over her last statement. "I'm no politician."  
  
"Obviously," she laughed like she thought I had just made a joke. "Not all the Specialists need to do anything political."  
  
I narrowed my gaze as Relena sat down beside me, resting her hand on my knee. "Then what was I chosen to do?"  
  
She shrugged. "I'm not really sure yet, but when we saw your body in your suit and watched you in the system, Duo thought you would be a necessary ally. He has the doctors wrapped around his little finger somehow, so of course they gave in. Now that you're here, though, I have to admit that you are pretty cute."  
  
I had to force myself to restrain from rolling my eyes. Like I didn't have to deal with that from users; now I have to put up with it from real people, too.  
  
"Oi, Relena, who are you talking to- Hey! Welcome to the world of the living, sleeping beauty!"  
  
I couldn't find my voice to respond. Real-world-Duo looked exactly the same as avatar-Duo only smaller; he seemed less serious, less determined and more cheerful. That impossible hue of blue-violet that made up his eyes were even more stunning on Earth. My forehead creased as my brows drew together in an expression of perplexity. Stunning? When the hell did I start thinking like that?  
  
"Relena if you don't mind I need to get Heero into something more than a pair of pants." Duo waved his hands at in the way you would to get a cat off your kitchen table. "Shoo! Get out!" I caught her shooting a glare in Duo's direction before leaving.  
  
  
"Now you can eat and I'll just talk, okay?" I nodded, beginning to pick at what I came to realize what was chicken, mashed potatoes, and peas. The taste of the food was pretty much the same experience as with the sweatpants all over again. It was like I had been living in a cold, dark cave my whole life and just found fire. "I'm sorry Relena got to you first. She's a smart cookie when it comes to politics but doesn't really have any interrelationship skills whatsoever. I don't know how we manage to put up with her."  
  
"She thinks I'm 'pretty cute'," I said around the fork. "How long is it going to take before I'm not being paraded around as the fresh meat anymore?"  
  
"Ah, don't know," Duo's voice echoed back from inside the closet. "There's eight girls and nine guys - technically four guys, actually, because I don't think they're gonna go for the doctors anytime soon." He visibly shuddered. "You might want to get used to it because it's going to be that way until they find a guy, or they all just decide to become lesbians and go at it with each other."  
  
I snickered at the thought of Miss Prim-and-Proper Darlian being a lesbian. Not that I thought there was anything wrong with homosexuality (as I catch myself staring at Duo's denim-encased backside that's sticking out of my closet); I just saw it as a little too unconventional for Relena.  
  
"Here, these should be all right." A pair of faded blue jeans and a black T-shirt found their way to a chair adjacent to mine. I finish my meal in time to catch a pair of sneakers and a rolled up ball of socks fly in my direction. "I figured you'd be a boxers kind of guy. Those are in one of the drawers under the mirror along with bath items, swim trunks, and a box of condoms because G is convinced that we're all a bunch of horn-balls. He doesn't realize that it's just the girls." Duo winked. I couldn't tell if he was joking or not. "So whenever you feel ready I can take you out to meet the rest of our little family here."  
  
"What about you?" I asked on sudden impulse.  
  
"Uh, I've met everyone already?"  
  
I shook my head. "What role do you play? How long have you been involved?"  
  
Duo ran his hand through his bangs in a gesture I came to realize he did whenever he was thinking of a way to avoid a subject. Whether it was a subconscious gesture or not, I had no idea. "Maybe some other time, okay? You have a lot to take in, so don't feel pressured to get it all at once."  
  
I nodded, getting dressed quickly while wondering why Duo didn't want to talk about his life in the system and how he managed to escape it.  
  
*~**~*  
  
End Part 3 


	4. Part 4

+Title: Digital Bath - Part 4  
+Author: Vinyl Koneko (Emily), roguegirl@att.net  
+Rating: R  
+Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 5xM, 13x11, 6x9, R+1, H+2  
+Warnings: AU, yaoi, cyberpunk, possible lime in a later part  
+Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing because if I did I'd get rich auctioning it off on eBay... LOL, just kidding. I'd keep them for myself to make videos and become the real Sabintha. ^_~  
+Notes: //Thought//, *emphasis*. Some ideas may seem similar to "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson, "The Matrix", and "Digimon", but I swear that isn't what I'm going for. "Digital Bath" is a song by The Deftones.  
  
*~**~*  
  
Duo lead me into the large room with the server that he transferred to my memory in the system. Actually being in the space made me feel so much smaller than I had when I was just looking at it. There were so many people in bodysuits... There's got to be at least one-sixty-fourth of the population of the LSOS in the room alone. And to think that I had just been one of them... I couldn't help but wonder where Trowa, Quatre, and Wufei lie now.  
  
"The doctors aren't really that much fun to hang around with unless you want something," Duo was talking and I realized that it might be important for me to pay attention. "Like if you want to get back into the LSOS, they have to handle that. They won't tell us how to reanimate an avatar the system reads as dead. Actually, scratch that thought. They only let me and Dorothy go back in, so it looks like you'll have to sit tight up here." He shrugged. "Anyway, the tall bald guy is Master O; the short guy with the weird mustache is Instructor H; Doktor S is the one with the thing on his nose; Professor G is the other short guy with the helmet hair going on; and Doctor J is the one with the metal pincers instead of a hand."  
  
I nodded, trying to get the names down to memory but all the letters kept getting confused. I'm a hacker; numbers would've been easier for me to deal with.  
  
"Or..." Duo grinned. "Any creative nicknames tends to be much more humorous for everyone. I think the best on record so far is Master Orgasm... What else would he expect us to come up with? Now what else? Ah! Since this is the room where pretty much everything in the system bases off of, technically we're not even supposed to be in here ever. But you're on the grand tour and if it's an emergency and you *really* need to talk to one or any of the docs, look here first."  
  
Duo grabbed a hold of me again, leading me outside. The sun was warm and we were surrounded by trees and smaller buildings that reached up to ten stories tall. It seemed that the server building was the highest one around, which made sense since it really was the only one that got used. Duo was pointing out the various buildings along the way.  
  
"That brick one right there is where we have class. Unfortunately they think we need school *again*, but it's kinda different than school was in the system. Here we're learning more basic stuff because it's going to be hard for a while."  
  
I scowled. "What kind of 'basic stuff'?"  
  
"History and government and war and all that shit. I mean, some of it's pretty interesting, but they only want us to be able to make the right decisions based on knowledge of what has happened before. I'm not even going to be controlling the planet once we get people filtering back in, so I don't know why *everyone* needs to sit in class, but I guess they're trying to be fair to everyone. Treize is nice enough; he lucked out big time! Went from a professor of history and got brought back to Earth by the professors and they're going to make him president! Not a bad change of lifestyle, if you ask me. He misses his daughter, though; hasn't seen her in a few years."  
  
"Do you have any family?" I'd be lying if I said I wasn't more interested in Duo than anything he was telling me.  
  
The longhaired boy shook his head. "Orphan."  
  
My gaze narrowed. That wasn't possible. There was no way to create orphans in the system. It didn't make sense how it could happen. "How?"  
  
Duo scratched the back of his head. "It's kind of complicated. Maybe someone who understands better than I do should explain it to you."  
  
Was it just me, or was Duo avoiding anything personal? "Okay."  
  
Duo pulled open the double wooden doors, bursting through so I had to catch them on my way in. I never realized how heavy a wooden door could be, but that might be because this was real wood and physically I wasn't at the same level as I was in the system. "Anybody here?" he called out, and nothing responded. A frown graced his beautiful features. And yes, I admit, I did say beautiful. Maybe coming here was a bad idea; I don't think I have the control anymore to deal with the hormones of a sixteen-year old boy...again.  
  
"No one's here. Oh well. I can show you my favorite place to study!" An eager yank brought me down the hall and to another set of doors, the room behind them completely dark. Duo opened the doors, placing me inside as he went over to flick on the lights. It was a library, and not just any library, but an immense library. In the LSOS, there was no need for them since anyone could just download a book and read it on a hoverboard at their convenience, but this one truly existed.  
  
"These are all the books that we were able to recover," Duo ran his hand over the spines of the books, picking one out every now and then just to put it back and start all over. "The last actual *books*. Their kind is pretty much extinct. We can still read novels from the system, but anything that's actually tangible is reduced to this little collection."  
  
I looked around. The collection wasn't exactly *little*, but if it represented the last books on Earth, well, then I guess it was kind of sparse.  
  
Duo's somber mood brightened suddenly. "Next stop is the recreation center."  
  
The center was actually across the street from the school, next to large sports' fields, a swimming pool, and a small park with trees and a pathway. This was where we found the majority of the Earth's population.  
  
"There he is! The tall guy with the reddish-brown hair and the weird eyebrows? That's Treize Khushrenada, the professor and future president of Earth. Then the lady next to him is Une; don't ask what her first name is because we just call her Une. She's going to be in charge of security." We walked in a little more, allowing me to catch sight of Relena who was watching Dorothy and a small, blue-haired girl involved in a round of Ping-Pong. "You know Dorothy and Relena; the girl with the blue hair is Hilde. She can fix and build pretty much anything. She's going to be planning major cities and stuff once we get underway."  
  
We crossed the room diagonally from the door, heading toward a stairwell that lead down to a movie theater with an arcade. "They hook us up big time, here. No good selection of movies yet until they burn them onto the discs, but in the meantime we have laser tag which is a lot of fun. Not to mention Frogger!" We were confronted with three more women in the arcade, one that looked Chinese, the other that looked slightly Oriental, and the third that had short, brown hair and was throwing darts at a board with strange accuracy. "Heero, meet Meiran, Sally, and Catherine."  
  
I nodded in greeting at each of them, pausing on Catherine. She looked familiar, but I couldn't place where I might have seen her before. I shrugged it off. I probably had just run into her somewhere before.  
  
"It's a pleasure, Heero," Sally said. "We're so glad you could help."  
  
I just with I knew what I was helping with. "Aa." I felt like a moron. I had no idea where I stood with this people; I'm not even particularly sure why I came. Maybe things were easier back in the system, not in an unfamiliar-yet-familiar world that is planning to be repopulated.  
  
"Hey, have you guys seen Zechs and Lu?"  
  
"Not around here," Meiran said with a slight curve of her lips. "Try the fitness rooms; Zechs is normally there at this hour. Lucrezia's probably with him."  
  
A quick nod and I found myself following Duo back up the stairs and then up another set. "Zechs is having special training with Treize. Him and Relena are brother and sister, even though they go by different names. Their parents were higher-ups in the system, so it's easier for us to add to what they know from their parents. Not to mention that they're wicked Pacifists and the doctors seem to prefer that, even though war is only part of establishing any society, I think."  
  
The fitness room held a group of decrepit-looking machines, old, rusting weights, and not much else. The walls were an entire reflective surface to watch yourself, and from my angle it looked like there were six people in the room instead of two. Well, twelve instead of four, now that Duo and myself had come up. "Pretty-boy is Zechs. Pretty-girl is Lucrezia. Any questions?"  
  
I shook my head. I felt overwhelmed by all these people. I tended to keep to myself and only had three friends in the system; I was happy with that. My more private side was having problems with my predicament. "No I think I got them all. Can we go back to my room? I need to sit down."  
  
Duo's eyes widened. "Oh, sorry, man, I should've thought about that! There is no gravity in the system and all of a sudden you have to adjust to it out here. And I've been dragging you all over the place... I'm such an idiot!"  
  
"No, you're not an idiot!" I said maybe a little too quickly. You're highly attractive and interesting to listen to and did I mention attractive? I mentally beat my conscience into a wall.  
  
The boy grinned sheepishly, cheeks turning a cute shade of pink. Damn, huh? I think I hit my head on the way out of the system or something. I never used to act like this. Then again, I never quite met anyone like Duo before. I only hope I could get to know him better.  
  
*~**~*  
  
End Part 4 


	5. Part 5

+Title: Digital Bath - Part 5  
+Author: Vinyl Koneko (Emily), roguegirl@att.net  
+Rating: R  
+Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 5xM, 13x11, 6x9, R+1, H+2  
+Warnings: AU, yaoi, cyberpunk, possible lime in a later part  
+Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing because if I did I'd get rich auctioning it off on eBay... LOL, just kidding. I'd keep them for myself to make videos and become the real Sabintha. ^_~  
+Notes: //Thought//, *emphasis*. Some ideas may seem similar to "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson, "The Matrix", and "Digimon", but I swear that isn't what I'm going for. "Digital Bath" is a song by The Deftones.  
  
*~**~*  
  
"You're sure you're not feeling queasy or anything?" Duo was still concerned that my prolonged exposure to the effects of gravity was what was overwhelming me. If he knew the truth he probably would leave me alone, and if there was anything I didn't want, it was for Duo to leave. The boy was making me curious, and so far I haven't gotten any information out of him.  
  
"You're a hacker?" I asked, trying to start a conversation.  
  
Duo smiled slightly. "Yeah, something like that."  
  
"Then you must know the irony of your name."  
  
He nodded. "Two is quite the popular number among hackers; 256 even more so because it's 2^8, and that eight is still 2^3." Duo plopped down on one of my chairs. "It was intentional, though. I had an older, ah, brother, and his name was Solo; he died and then I came along, so I became Duo."  
  
"How'd he die?"  
  
"Program malfunction," Duo answered simply. He didn't seem to want to go into any further detail. He stood up swiftly. "I should probably go. You need to rest and I need to go help the doctors with a triple-retrieval. If they are willing to come, at least, there will be three of them. You might be interested; they're your friends, after all."  
  
My friends? "Why would they need to come in?"  
  
Duo shrugged. "I just follow orders. I guess they just developed an interest in your friends, that's all. I don't get the major details, just who to get, what their avatars are going to look like, and where to find them."  
  
At least I wasn't going to be the only one stumbling around on Earth. I couldn't help but grin at the thought of Wufei when he realized he's only a teenager. I noticed Duo fidgeting out of the corner of my eye. "What is it?"  
  
"I've already met your friends once, and I don't think they feel too highly of me. They probably think you're dead. Can you just say or do something so they know we're on friendly terms? Then I can relay it through my memories like I did with you."  
  
I didn't know what my brain had decided to do to demonstrate friendly terms because my body overrode any attempts I otherwise would have made. I leaned forward, catching Duo's mouth with mine in a kiss, nipping at his lips gently in an attempt to get a response of any kind. He seemed ambivalent for a few seconds, but soon his arms were wrapped around my neck, returning the gesture with so much enthusiasm that I had to lower myself to sit in a chair. I couldn't tell if this made the situation easier or worse because now Duo was straddling my lap. Like all good things, though, it ended too soon, and a mutual need for oxygen broke us apart. I looked Duo in the eye, catching a flash of shock, joy, and something that might have been fear.  
  
"You think that'll work?" I breathed, voice sounding deeper than I had intended it to.  
  
Duo just nodded wordlessly, leaning forward to place a chaste kiss on my cheekbone before getting off my lap and leaving for his retrieval mission.  
  
*~**~*  
  
"Heero! Wait up! Please? Heero!"  
  
It was after class, which is boring as all hell, let me tell you. I was thinking of checking out the library that Duo loves so much to see if he's in there, but with Relena on my tail at the moment, that didn't seem like it was going to be happening. I stopped suddenly, bracing myself as she plowed into my back.  
  
"What?"  
  
She titled her head to the side. "Oh, you want to carry my books and escort me to my room? Okay!" I couldn't imagine we were leaving the fate of Earth partly in this girl's hands. I soon found myself armed with a stack of study discs and Relena latched onto my arm. "So do you like it here so far?"  
  
I thought over my answer before actually responding. "The Earth is very pretty."  
  
She beamed, batting her eyelashes so hard I could've sworn I felt a breeze. "Really? What else do you think is pretty?"  
  
Sunsets. The smell of citrus in Duo's hair. The way the shade of Duo's eyes reflect exactly how he feels. Anything except what you want me to say. "Lots of things."  
  
"Such as...?"  
  
I offered a half-shrug in response, hoping it would be enough to get Relena off my case. I've only been conscious for two days and already I don't like her. It's not that I hate her; she's just so persistent and relatively clueless that she doesn't understand that I don't like her in any sexual way. Her part in the cause to repopulate Earth is noble and all, but I don't want to contribute to the populace with *her*.  
  
"Heero, I need to talk to you." I looked up. It was Doctor J.  
  
"Sure," I replied, trying to figure out what he would need to talk to me about. Maybe I'd finally learn where I fit in around here.   
  
J started to lead me to another room, shutting the door behind us. "Make yourself comfortable, if you must." I sat at one of the desks, not knowing how long the talk would take. J started when he figured I was paying attention. "My associates and I have had something brought to our notice recently. We can read Duo like a book, and I warn you now not to get involved with the boy."  
  
When this guy decided he could control every decision I made, I have no idea. And technically Duo and I aren't involved. I mentioned my latter point, at which he laughed. At least I think he was laughing; it sounded more like a wheeze.  
  
"Don't underestimate me. I can tell that you will be if you aren't already. We made Duo too charming of a boy for things to work out any other way. You can take my advice or you can ignore it, but listening to me would be safer for the both of you. You must have noticed he doesn't talk about himself; there's a reason for that."  
  
"I know about Solo," I interjected, although I knew it was a moot point.  
  
J seemed to stiffen at the mention of the name, though, and it made me want to research into the Maxwells later on. "What did he tell you about Solo?"  
  
"That he was his older brother and died in a program malfunction; they happen in the system still. It isn't unheard of entirely. They're just extremely rare." I hesitated, wondering if the doctor was going to fill in any information that I didn't know, but he just ended the topic.  
  
"Just stay away from Duo or you'll be getting into more than you bargained for." The old man stood up, his prosthetics creaking loudly, and shuffled out of the room, leaving me by myself to mull over what he just said.  
  
*~**~*  
  
Doctor J's warnings didn't affect me in the least. They set me on edge for a little while, but once Duo came back from the retrieval we pretty much fell back to the way we were. He greeted me with a kiss that left me standing breathless, and he did it right in front of the doctors, too, so there couldn't have been any harm. Duo didn't feel like he needed to worry about it, but it made me wonder that if Doctor J's warning had anything to do with the flash of fear I caught in Duo's indigo gaze after we first kissed.  
  
I felt a little bad that my friends that to go through the same therapy that I did, but it was necessary and nothing else could be done. They looked so young and frail, but witnessing their therapy actually let me see the change instead of just passing out from the feel of it. It took a few days before they were all on their feet again, but once they were awake, the first thing I did was let them know I was all right.  
  
"Yuy, I don't know what the hell you got us into or why we agreed to be here, but you have some explaining to do!" Anyone who didn't know Wufei would've thought he was angry, but I could tell otherwise.  
  
Trowa smiled slightly. "Leave it to Heero to get involved with the God of Death."  
  
I felt my face burn. "We're not involved."  
  
Quatre smirked at me from where he was on the bottom bunk of the bed, pressed up against Trowa. "That's not what it looked like to me." He reached up, brushing bangs out of aquamarine eyes. "Do you like him?"  
  
"Yes," I admitted. It felt nice for someone to know beside myself.  
  
Wufei waved his hand in my direction, yawning obviously. "Well then go get involved. We're still tired and I don't plan on waking up until I'm twenty-one again."  
  
I understood. They hadn't gotten as much rest as I had, and I could tell they needed it. "All right. I'll come back when you're rested." I made sure to turn off the light for them, shutting the door behind me. It was a strange turn of events. We seemed more like teenagers at a boarding school, now, instead of powerful programmers from the system who knew the truth about the world.  
  
I hadn't known that Duo was standing just outside in the corridor sipping occasionally from a glass of chocolate milk. Doctor J be damned. I was getting involved.  
  
"Everyone okay in there?" he asked, finishing off the last of the drink before placing the empty glass on top of a garbage can at the end of the hall for someone else to clean up later.  
  
"They're still tired, but they seemed fine, other than that."  
  
"That's good." We were walking in an uneasy silence. I knew I was feeling a little tense at being in Duo's vicinity, but why he felt uneasy, I wasn't sure. Maybe he knew about J's little confrontation. "It's not going to be an easy time getting the Earth back to where she was before."  
  
"Then why is the project being carried out?"  
  
"The LSOS can't run forever; it was only supposed to be temporary. And the Earth is healed, now, so why waste the space? The balance is all off with out mankind to fuck it all up again." We stopped in front of what I recognized as Duo's room. "I have some pizza in here if you wanna come in." I nodded, allowing him to get back on-topic without any further interruptions. "It's the retrieval that's a pain in the ass. We have to find who we want and who we can take, and then me and Dorothy go in and try to convince them to come back with us. It's not an easy job, but somebody's got to do it."  
  
I followed him into the room, watching as Duo kicked off his shoes and pulled a box of pizza out of the mini-fridge he probably managed to bribe off the doctors a little while back. "You could get more people to help."  
  
Duo shook his head. "Only me and Dorothy can return to the system without any complications. The rest of you could confuse the LSOS, possibly damaging the system and killing everyone. We can't risk that."  
  
"How hard would it be to make for me the program that lets you two in? If they don't have the time, I can do it."  
  
Duo looked apologetic. "I know you want to help, but only we can do it. Trust me on that one."  
  
"I just want to be able to help."  
  
"I know. You're a kind person, Heero. People haven't always seen that from you."  
  
I lowered my voice to a murmur, moving to stand as close as I possibly could. "You see it."  
  
"I want to," Duo breathed back, looking into my eyes. I could feel myself falling into those blue-violet pools, and I knew that I was lost. The kiss became much more heated than the prior ones as Duo lowered himself onto the bed, pulling me down afterwards.  
  
*~**~*  
  
End Part 5 


	6. Part 6

+Title: Digital Bath - Part 6  
+Author: Vinyl Koneko (Emily), roguegirl@att.net  
+Rating: R  
+Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 5xM, 13x11, 6x9, R+1, H+2  
+Warnings: AU, yaoi, cyberpunk, lime in this part  
+Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing because if I did I'd get rich auctioning it off on eBay... LOL, just kidding. I'd keep them for myself to make videos and become the real Sabintha. ^_~  
+Notes: //Thought//, *emphasis*. Some ideas may seem similar to "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson, "The Matrix", and "Digimon", but I swear that isn't what I'm going for. "Digital Bath" is a song by The Deftones.  
  
*~**~*  
  
I was lost in a flurry of sensations. Duo's hands left trails of fire that burned my nerves, electrifying my senses. I never truly appreciated Duo's full beauty until I saw him as he lie before me, hair down, skin flushed, and eyes entranced with the same desire that I knew held my own. It had been too long since I had let myself give into the pleasures of the flesh; the fact that now the sensations were real and not just impressions created by the bodysuits made it that much more exciting. The lack of suits and the fact that no one I had been with ever had a chance when compared to Duo.  
  
Suddenly I found myself not knowing what to do. I didn't know how experienced Duo was, and I certainly didn't want to scare the boy. "Duo, what do you want?"  
  
"Just you," he groaned in response, pulling my mouth down to his for another fiery kiss. At the rate we were going, I wouldn't be able to hold out much longer. I cried out when I felt slender fingers wrapping around my shaft, slowly pumping the length.  
  
I didn't want to take him; not yet - it was still too soon. I settled on the next best thing, removing Duo's hand from my aching member as I slowly kissed and nibbled my way down his body, to where he needed the contact in order to find release. I teased him at first, licking around the base of his shaft until his cries grew impatient. I moved closer, breathing on his erection and watching as Duo deliciously bucked his hips toward my mouth. He was a creature of need at that moment, and I wasn't one to make him suffer any longer.   
  
I wrapped my mouth around his manhood, engulfing the head and taking in as much as I could in my particular position. My tongue took over, teasing Duo's most sensitive place, my own state of arousal heightened just by watching and listening to him. Duo's cries hitched in his throat as he came, and I tried to swallow his entire load, but that's difficult with a penis halfway down your throat.  
  
Duo wasn't completely finished, though. As I crawled back up to meet his gaze, he plundered my mouth, licking his own seed off my lips as his hand reached down to bring me to my own climax. It wasn't long until I did come, screaming out his name and collapsing, spent, beside Duo on the bed. Duo smiled, sated - his eyes growing heavy with exhaustion.  
  
I wanted to tell him that I loved him, but I knew that it was too soon. We had only known each other for several days, and no matter how drawn I felt to Duo, telling him that I felt that way after only so long wouldn't have been fair. Especially if I turned out to not really feel that way. Any further warnings Doctor J could have given me only would have drawn me to Duo even more. I wanted to know more about him. Duo was so mysterious with his past, and he was careful about what he told people. The other Specialists seemed to know as much or less than I did.  
  
I wanted to ask, to learn more, but sleep had already overcome Duo, and I was soon after.  
  
*~**~*  
  
When I woke up I was disheartened to see that Duo was gone. A note on the nightstand informed me that he had been called away for a mass retrieval and should be back by, if not before, dinnertime. There was no signature. I frowned. He must have been in a hurry. I dressed myself in the clothes that had been tossed aside in the previous evening's activities, leaving to find something else that could occupy my time.  
  
I met Quatre at breakfast. He seemed rather chipper. I guess that's a good sign since the other day he seemed so tired.  
  
"So, Heero, how are things with you and Duo?"  
  
I tried to glare. It wasn't really his business, but for some reason the expression didn't feel like working for me today. "Aa...things are doing well."  
  
Quatre tapped the side of his face with a slender finger. "I figured that much. Especially since you're wearing the same thing today as you were yesterday."  
  
I just shrugged, not giving him the satisfaction of indulging in any more information.  
  
"Can we walk around a little?" Quatre waited until he finished chewing before continuing. "I want to see more of Earth. The system didn't have an ocean, and Duo showed us one."  
  
I knew there was a beach a few blocks down. Relena kept bringing up how I should go with her sometime.  
  
"They said I'm empathic," Quatre began after we'd been walking for a little while. "It was latent in the LSOS, but now that we're out in the real world it's getting a little overbearing. This sudden awareness of how everyone feels... I don't know how to handle it."  
  
"It'll be useful once we get more people around here. You could use it to help people adjust."  
  
Quatre frowned. "I was talking to Sally; she said not everyone would be able to adjust, and those that were beyond returning to Earth would have to stay in the system until they died. They won't be able to shut the LSOS down until everyone's free of it, and that depends on the life expectancy of whoever is left inside. She said that's what happened when people began moving into the system to begin with. Some minds couldn't adapt and they were left outside to die."  
  
"If the majority wouldn't be able to survive, I doubt this project would be underway. The LSOS was only to be temporary."  
  
We were greeted with a cool breeze upon reaching the ocean. I had never seen so much water before. The system couldn't duplicate it accurately enough for any large amounts. The water was a clear turquoise, warm to the touch with colorful life forms just below the surface. Quatre's eyes were light up with a feeling I couldn't quite name, somewhere between awe and wonder.  
  
"I can't believe that *this* is what our ancestors tried to destroy. How jaded was mankind?"  
  
I didn't respond, not finding a response appropriate enough. Earth was beautiful as far as I could see, and we almost lost her entirely. Humanity had been taking faster than they could give, and it added up eventually.  
  
"Heero Yuy, you're the one they said would save us."   
  
I turned to see who was addressing me. It was the dark-haired woman, Lucrezia Noin. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"*You're* the one the doctors have been talking about. They said we'd have problems once the project was near completion, and when they came, you'd be able to help." She had a look her eye that seemed to be challenging me to accuse her of lying.  
  
"Is that why I'm here?"  
  
Noin nodded. "Duo picked you; you must be the one."  
  
I looked over at Quatre to at least make sure I wasn't hallucinating the entire conversation. He looked as confused as I felt, but when I turned back to question Noin further, she was gone.  
  
"What was that all about?"  
  
"I don't know," I sighed. "But they think I'm supposed to save them."  
  
Blond eyebrows drew together. "Save them from what?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
*~**~*  
  
Duo and Dorothy retrieved 120 users from the system in the past six hours. At this rate, I don't know how long it's going to take to get the rest of the population, but it's going to take a long time.  
  
"It won't take that long," Duo assured me. "The docs are working on a retrieval program that more or less forces people out. There might be some danger, but it saves me and Dorothy a lot of time."  
  
"What do you mean by danger?"  
  
Duo shrugged. "They might go into shock of some sort for being forcefully transferred out of the LSOS, but it shouldn't be too bad. So did I miss anything exciting?"  
  
I told him about what Noin told me. I hoped maybe he'd call her crazy or something similar, but all he did was take on an apologetic look and explain how I wasn't supposed to hear from her first. "It probably would have been better if I told you about that to begin with."  
  
"What am I supposed to save you from?"  
  
Another shrug. "Not sure. I just had the memory of a...a dream, I guess you'd call it. Something was destroying the system, and not all the people were free yet, so the users were in a massive panic. Someone stopped it, fixed it. I couldn't see their face to automatically recognize an avatar from the dream, but I saw you in your suit and just felt something." Duo was blushing. "It was kinda hokey, but I felt drawn to you."  
  
A nagging suspicion told me that Duo wasn't telling the whole truth, but I ignored it. There was something that caused the fear in his eyes when I kissed him; if the whole savior ordeal was based on a dream, why was I supposed to worry? It wasn't like Duo's purpose was to play prophet. Normal people have outrageous thoughts when they're sleeping. It did seem to be a huge coincidence, but it wasn't anything more, right?  
  
Was that also why J warned me to stay away from Duo?  
  
"I wouldn't worry too much if I were you," Duo was standing directly in front of me, brushing hair away from my eyes as he spoke. "Would be kinda dumb if you got all wrapped up and it turned out to be nothing." He smiled hesitantly, the gesture alone making me feel a little better.  
  
I kissed his forehead, wrapping an arm around his waist. Passed Duo and in a doorway I could see Hilde casting lethal glances in my direction, disappearing when she realized I had noticed her presence.  
  
*~**~*  
  
End Part 6 


	7. Part 7

+Title: Digital Bath - Part 7  
+Author: Vinyl Koneko (Emily), roguegirl@att.net  
+Rating: R  
+Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 5xM, 13x11, 6x9, R+1, H+2  
+Warnings: AU, yaoi, cyberpunk, possibly more lime in later parts  
+Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing because if I did I'd get rich auctioning it off on eBay... LOL, just kidding. I'd keep them for myself to make videos and become the real Sabintha. ^_~  
+Notes: //Thought//, *emphasis*. Some ideas may seem similar to "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson, "The Matrix", and "Digimon", but I swear that isn't what I'm going for. "Digital Bath" is a song by The Deftones. Program based on HTML and JavaScript because that's all I know. ^_^  
  
*~**~*  
  
It didn't take me long to learn that Hilde was jealous. She confronted me herself a few days later. I was alone in the library reading a book by Heinlein when she barged in.  
  
"Duo's not supposed to get into any relationships," her finger pointed at me accusingly. I just blinked and returned to the book. It wasn't the first time I had heard this lecture, and I doubted it would be the last. "You don't understand; it isn't healthy!"  
  
My head snapped up, casting a deadly glare in Hilde's direction. "If you are implying that it is 'unhealthy' because we are both male you might as well leave. I won't tolerate your narrow-mindedness."  
  
"I'm not narrow-minded; it's a rule! You're jeopardizing everyone by disobeying the doctors orders"  
  
"And by denying Duo happiness? I don't think so. You wouldn't be upset if there weren't another reason."  
  
Her eyes were filling with tears, causing a shine over the fierce anger in their depths. "If I can't have Duo, then why the hell should you be able to? You haven't even been here a week and already you're causing problems!"  
  
I didn't need to listen to her. I had better things to be doing. "Goodbye, Hilde." I marked my page and left, still hearing her yelling after me down the hallway.  
  
"I'll be the one telling you 'I told you so' when the time comes, Heero Yuy! You can count on it!"  
  
I started to run, trying to put as much space between me and her as possible. Hilde's cries still rang through my ears.  
  
*~**~*  
  
The latest thing keeping me occupied was the program for the mass retrievals. It was Duo's idea that the doctors have me program it; my talent was being wasted and I had a craving for manipulating the system, which is difficult when you're no longer a part of it. They gave me a fragment of the program Duo used in retrieval, and that was all I had to work with. I needed to find a way to execute the program so that it would finish outside the system instead of inside, and that was what was a little difficult. Good think the doctors gave me a LSOS simulator or I could be testing it on the real people, creating some major problems.  
  
NPUT USR="N" SRC="XYZ" FUNC="EXTRACT" NAME="MassRetrieval"  
  
command.ln("avatar func=sleep")  
  
command.ln("avatar func=execute")  
  
command.ln("avatar func=withdraw")  
  
/NPUT  
  
A AFCT="1100001000000" HREF="#MassRetrieval"  
  
I rubbed the side of my head wearily. Something in that fragment wasn't working. It was killing the users every time I ran it through the simulation.  
  
I had been focused so intently on the monitor that I didn't notice I had company until I felt a pair of arms draping across my neck.   
  
"It's not working," I admitted, feeling a little ashamed. I was the best hacker and this damned program was leaving me clueless.  
  
"Try specifying an area. The system might be confused if you're trying to command one million users in a mile square area."  
  
NPUT USR="N" SRC="XYZ" FUNC="EXTRACT" NAME="MassRetrieval"  
  
command.ln("avatar func=sleep")  
  
command.ln("avatar func=execute")  
  
command.ln("avatar func=withdraw")  
  
/NPUT  
  
A AFCT="1100001000000" AREA="1,1,X,Y" HREF="#MassRetrieval"  
  
I winced at the results. It ran through the system all right, but once you get the people out they were immediately awake and trying to move around. We wanted people out until they adjusted and healed.  
  
"What if I command them to be unconscious instead of asleep?"  
  
Duo shrugged. "It's worth a shot."  
  
NPUT USR="N" SRC="XYZ" FUNC="EXTRACT" NAME="MassRetrieval"  
  
command.ln("avatar func=unconscious")  
  
command.ln("avatar func=execute")  
  
command.ln("avatar func=withdraw")  
  
/NPUT  
  
A HREF="#MassRetrieval" AREA="1,1,X,Y" USR="1100001000000"  
  
A broad grin spread across Duo's face at the results. "I *knew* giving this to you was a good idea!"  
  
"We don't have the facilities to recuperate one million people." There were six billion in the system. Before the system, the Earth had a population in the billions. The LSOS couldn't support everybody. Some couldn't afford to get to North America while others just didn't want to. What's left is still a severe fraction of the original population, but we can only recuperate twelve at a time.  
  
"Yeah, well, that's the doctors' problem, not ours." Duo ruffled my hair playfully and I scowled at his reflection in the monitor. "We're just lucky we have the space. The people will be fine; they'll just be recuperating for a little longer. We hurried up the process with the Specialists to get things started faster." Duo grabbed my arm, tugging me in the direction of the door. "C'mon, you don't want to sit on your ass all day! There's things to do, and we won't have the planet practically to ourselves for much longer!"  
  
I don't like to think that Duo has me wrapped around his little finger. Maybe it's more of a sense that he's a very convincing person and we like each other a lot, so as a result I want to spent a lot of time with the boy. Or maybe I really am just whipped. We ended up at the park near the outdoor tennis courts. We got to a basketball court and Duo pulled off his T-shirt, revealing the loose tank top he wore underneath. He stepped out of his shoes, taking off his jeans in a similar fashion that revealed the red mesh gym shorts he also wore.  
  
"There's clothes for you to change into over there unless you want to play in jeans," Duo pointed to a small building that was most likely a locker room. "Or you can play in the nude." He grinned demonically. "Whatever works for you."  
  
I didn't want to play basketball against Duo. He wouldn't have a chance. I told him I used to play in the system for my high school and that I didn't want to hurt his pride.   
  
He scowled at me in response. "There's no one here who is a good match; I want a little competition. Is that a problem?" I just shrugged, going over to get changed. It was his loss.   
  
I changed as quickly as possible, running back out to see Duo tossing a few warm up shots. I caught a glimpse of something on his flesh, a black, square shape that was partly concealed by his shirt. I walked closer, trying to get a better look. It looked like a tattoo, and unless I was mistaken, it was a barcode. I placed my hand on his shoulder, tracing my thumb over the image. "What is this?"  
  
Duo froze, suddenly becoming very tense. "What's what?"  
  
"The tattoo...on your shoulder."  
  
"Oh, yeah, that," he turned out of my grip, looking at me solemnly. "It's nothing."  
  
"It looks like a barcode."  
  
"Well no shit, Sherlock, thanks for pointing that out to me!" His blue-violet gaze had gone wide, trying to look offended but he looked more scared. I had no idea why.   
  
"Why is there a barcode tattooed in your skin?"  
  
Duo snorted, eyes narrowing slightly as he poked at my chest with a finger. "Really, Heero, it didn't seem to bother you the other night."  
  
My expression matched his. "I was too preoccupied to notice apparently." I continued to pry, trying to get at least something out of him. "Is it from the doctors? Is that how you can get back into the system? Duo, why won't you tell me anything?"  
  
His gaze never left mine, his eyes begging for me to just drop the subject. "Do you want to play or not?" His voice must have sounded harsher than he meant it to because he winced. He went back to dribbling the ball, throwing it at the net from different distances away. He never missed.  
  
Duo, what is going on with you?  
  
*~**~*  
  
That night I dreamt that the doctors were running a factory, and each machine was putting together a Duo. There were hundreds, each one with a different code etched into their skin. They all looked the same; all felt the same emotion at the same time. I couldn't tell which one was the original anymore, which one was my Duo.  
  
When one hurt, they all screamed in pain, causing the machines to shut down and the doctors to run around furiously, trying to figure out what had gone wrong. I watched above from the shadows, my mind detached from my dream-body, as it all went on down below.   
  
Duo was different from the rest of us, and he wasn't about to say why. He had the ability to return to the system and exit it safely, without any danger to himself or the LSOS. The doctors kept a protective watch on him, making sure that Duo stayed happy, needs and wants completely fulfilled. Was that my job here? Was I just to humor Duo because he had gotten bored, and he saw me in the system, deciding that he liked me and wanted me?  
  
I woke suddenly, sitting upwards quickly as I gasped for air. My body was covered in a cold sweat and I trembled even though I was buried in blankets.  
  
They were keeping a secret from me, and I wouldn't rest until I learned what that secret was.  
  
*~**~*  
  
End Part 7 


	8. Part 8

+Title: Digital Bath - Part 8  
+Author: Vinyl Koneko (Emily), roguegirl@att.net  
+Rating: R  
+Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 5xM, 13x11, 6x9, R+1, H+2  
+Warnings: AU, yaoi, cyberpunk, possibly more lime in later parts  
+Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing because if I did I'd get rich auctioning it off on eBay... LOL, just kidding. I'd keep them for myself to make videos and become the real Sabintha. ^_~  
+Notes: //Thought//, *emphasis*. Some ideas may seem similar to "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson, "The Matrix", and "Digimon", but I swear that isn't what I'm going for. "Digital Bath" is a song by The Deftones.   
  
*~**~*  
  
My program was being put to good use, and everyday, it seemed, there were hundreds of new citizens placed back on Earth. The buildings were being filled up, and they were helping us rebuild. We had teachers, biologists, mechanics, and various types of manufacturers. We were slowly getting back the people that made up a society. After another week we had half of the population of the system out with a quarter of those up and walking around, perfectly healthy and happy to be out.  
  
Seeing people as three-dimensional beings was quite the different experience after you've dealt with pixilated avatars your entire life. The age difference took a little while for people to get used to, but it didn't create any major problems. Most people were actually happier to be younger.  
  
Even my friends were acting a little differently. Quatre had his empathetic abilities to deal with, Trowa as patient as ever when it came to Quatre's talent. Interesting coincidence, it turns out that Catherine and Trowa are actually brother and sister. Catherine had disappeared when Trowa was young, their parents assuming that she had just run away, but she had actually been brought out to Earth. That explained why she seemed so familiar before. I had seen pictures in their home, and knew how secretly it hurt Trowa knowing that he'd never get to know his sister. He wasn't the only one things were doing well for. Wufei got involved with Meiran, and even though it looked like they were arguing all the time, you could see that they were perfect for each other. It was good for Wufei. He needed to loosen up. He'd probably say the same thing about me.  
  
Duo apologized, but he still couldn't tell me everything. "When this is all over," he promised, "I'll answer any and all of your questions." I accepted the apology; I knew that was the best he could offer for the time being, and I couldn't stay angry. I just didn't like being left out in the dark. I still couldn't help but feel like I was the only Specialist that didn't know about Duo's past.  
  
I had been walking back to my room after spending an evening in the library with Duo; we hadn't gotten a lot of reading done, but we had expected that much. I passed Dorothy and noticed a flash of white out of the corner of my eye. I couldn't tell if it was because I was tired and my eyes were playing tricks on me or not, but she seemed to be flickering. She'd look fine one moment and for the briefest second she'd look like the snow you get with a poor reception. I blamed the exhaustion and went to bed.  
  
The next day, though, she still seemed to be a little off. I asked the doctors about it, and they exchanged quick glances with each other before telling me it was probably my imagination. For the next few days Dorothy was nowhere to be seen, but when she finally did return she seemed like she had always been. Whatever was wrong with her, I'm certain that the doctors were the ones to have fixed it.  
  
In the meantime, more and more people were pouring out of the system. Unfortunately at this point there had been a death rate of five-percent, but Duo said that was to be expected. The sudden change was just too much of a shock for some people, whether they rested afterwards or not. He stopped calling us the Specialists and used the term Liberation Army instead, saying it made him feel like more of a rebel movement than a political and scientific cause. He even designed a flag, a black image of a scythe slicing through a computer on a red field. Treize was furious when he saw it on the flagpole in front of the school the next day. He called it disrespectful to the nations of the world and national pride was what the topic of discussion for that lesson became.  
  
I had pretty much forgotten about the strange occurrences with Dorothy, and now that I think back on it, I probably shouldn't have.  
  
*~**~*  
  
We were in a museum looking at ancient artifacts from around the world. How people lived on the planet had always been a mystery to me, and looking at the things they used, I realized that the system was a basic copy of Earth, not a completely different world.  
  
The weapons were the most interesting, the ancient swords catching my eye. I had seen them in the system, but I knew in the real world they were lethal and much more dangerous.  
  
A scream from one of the girls - Relena - tore my attention away from the display to see what the commotion was about. It was Dorothy. She was flickering again, but my gaze was pulled to the object in her hand. It was one of the lighter swords used in one-on-one dueling that were more commonly used by European officers. It was essentially a fencing foil only designed to be a weapon, not a toy.  
  
"Relena, darling, you don't need to be afraid," Dorothy always sounded like a cat purring, only this time she sounded more deadly.  
  
"What's going on, woman, have you snapped?" That was Wufei, trying to put himself in a position where he could disarm Dorothy when she wasn't paying attention. Unfortunately, it didn't look like she was about to be fooled.  
  
"I have not 'snapped' as you so eloquently put it, Mr. Chang. It's more a matter of how I know what you are all planning and I'm not going to tolerate it!"  
  
Quatre's eyes narrowed. I could tell he was trying to figure out what she was feeling, but he seemed to be struggling with it. "Dorothy, what are you talking about?"  
  
"When all of you *humans* are free from the LSOS you're going to terminate the system. I won't let that happen. I will kill you all!"  
  
I caught Hilde pressing an emergency button on the wall, alerting whoever would respond that something was wrong. I didn't know who she thought would be able to help us. We certainly didn't have a police force, and if the doctors responded, I don't know how they'd handle a homicidal maniac. Dorothy suddenly sprung into action, swinging the sword at anyone who was in her way. I wouldn't let that happen. Wufei knocked the others out of the way as I went for the open display, grabbing a katana before swinging the blade out to defend her attack. The irony of grabbing a Japanese sword never even occurred to me.  
  
"You can't stop me," she hissed, and in the blink of an eye, she disappeared.  
  
I swore. "Where did she go?"  
  
Duo shook his head, his eyes wide with fear and disbelief. He opened his mouth to respond just as I felt the sharp sting on my arm. She was behind me. I tried to ignore the cut on my arm, the pain and the blood, but I couldn't handle the katana as well as I should have. I was forced to hold the weapon with my left hand, putting me at a disadvantage. She continued her attack, each of her blows meeting my block, but I couldn't hold it as firmly. My arms trembled. Dorothy knew that she held an advantage over me. I didn't know how much longer I would last before my strength gave out.  
  
Dorothy grinned devilishly at my efforts. Her blade rose in the air again for another swing, bringing it down in an angled cut at my left arm when suddenly she froze. She just stopped moving. I heard a sigh of relief as Meiran slid down on of the walls. Relena whimpered slightly. Duo was kneeling on the ground, face cupped in his hands as his body was wracked with sobs. I looked at my peers, unsure how to feel or even where to start in demanding an explanation. I stormed out of the museum, dropping the katana in my wake.  
  
*~**~*  
  
I was standing at my bedroom window, watching the sudden onslaught of rain, when I heard a timid knock at my door. "Heero?" It was Duo. "Heero, it's me; can we talk? Please?"  
  
I sighed. I knew this would have to happen sooner or later. We might as well get it over with now. To think, before an explanation was all I could dream of. "Come on," I said, my voice harsh from standing in silence for the hours that had passed since Dorothy's assault.  
  
I could hear the door creak open and Duo's quiet footsteps as he entered, the door clicking shut behind him. I turned to face him, watching as his eyes went to the blood staining my shirt. I noticed then that he was holding a first aid kit. I sat down at one of the chairs without beckoning, let him approach and unbutton the shirt I had been wearing, sliding it off to assess the wound.  
  
"You should have taken care of this earlier. It could be infected." I didn't reply. I had so much that I wanted to say to Duo that I couldn't think of the right response for that particular comment. I winced lightly as he cleaned the cut, using a damp cloth to wipe away the blood. "I figured you'd have a lot of questions, so I'm just going to talk and let you ask any remaining questions afterwards, okay?" I looked down at him from where he kneeled in front of me, eyes focused intently on the task before him. I wanted to read the emotion in his eyes, but he was purposely looking elsewhere.  
  
"The doctors knew that once people were freed from the system that they wouldn't be able to return, so they needed a way to get people who could exist in both worlds. They took the idea of how a program could exist in the system and tried to make one that could also exist outside of it. Solo was the first. He was successful in traveling between the worlds, but he couldn't stay outside for too long. Being on Earth for too long killed him. The doctors realized their flaws and tried again. It was me this time, and Dorothy soon after. It seemed that all the kinks got worked out and we were too good to be true. Our programs were practically perfect."  
  
My gaze traveled back to the window. They were programs. Computer programs. "The barcode let's you get scanned back into the system." It wasn't a question. Everything made sense all of a sudden.  
  
Duo nodded slowly. "We're dependent on the system in order to live. We had to stay connected to it somehow, and drawing our energy from the LSOS was the only way for us to survive. We behave exactly as normal human beings do, though. You can see me, smell me, feel me, hear me... It's just that I don't have the basic needs that you do. I can eat but I don't need to; I can sleep, but that's not necessary, either."  
  
My gaze narrowed, voice still low. "You said before that once all the people were returned to Earth the doctors were going to destroy the system."  
  
Duo's hands stopped wrapping the bandage around my arm for a moment before continuing. "Yeah, I did." He sighed, the air pushing chestnut bangs out of his eyes. "When the system goes down me and Dorothy are going with it."  
  
"Why?" I whispered, unsure if I had actually asked out loud until Duo responded.  
  
"It's easier that way. I'm a program, Heero. I can't stay here, even with you. You'd keep growing and get older and I'd be stuck like this until you died, and then I'd be on my own." He hesitated. "It's better this way."  
  
I nodded understandingly even though I really didn't. I felt torn. Duo, the most human person I had ever known, was a computer program. Count on a hacker to unknowingly get involved with one. "Duo," I said, my voice choked, "I love you."  
  
He leaned up, kissing my eyes before moving to my mouth. His lips were wet and salty. Was I crying? "I know, Heero." Duo reached up, wrapping his arms around mine as he placed my head on his shoulder. "I know."  
  
*~**~*  
  
End Part 8 


	9. Part 9

+Title: Digital Bath - Part 9  
+Author: Vinyl Koneko (Emily), roguegirl@att.net  
+Rating: R  
+Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 5xM, 13x11, 6x9, R+1, H+2  
+Warnings: AU, yaoi, cyberpunk, possibly more lime in later parts  
+Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing because if I did I'd get rich auctioning it off on eBay... LOL, just kidding. I'd keep them for myself to make videos and become the real Sabintha. ^_~  
+Notes: //Thought//, *emphasis*, [flashback]. Some ideas may seem similar to "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson, "The Matrix", and "Digimon", but I swear that isn't what I'm going for. "Digital Bath" is a song by The Deftones.   
  
*~**~*  
  
I wasn't going to stand around idle counting the days until the system would be terminated. I didn't know if my reasons for wanting to save Duo were purely selfish or I wanted to do it for him, but I was going to find a way while I still had a chance. I knew we were taking items from the system, but I wasn't entirely sure how. If the doctors didn't want to tell me, I would have to find out some other way.  
  
I didn't care if Hilde hated me. She seemed to be the only one that could help. She was in a specialized class, reviewing ancient architectural techniques from columns and balustrades to buttresses and arches. "What do you want?" Hilde whispered harshly after I pulled her out into the hallway.  
  
"I need your help," I began, hoping that single admittance would catch her attention. "I need to know how you are recovering objects from inside the LSOS."  
  
Her expression was annoyed as if she was wondering why I couldn't have asked when she wasn't busy. "We print them."  
  
I blinked. She couldn't have just said what I thought she did. "Print them?"  
  
Hilde nodded carefully, explaining the concept as if I were a child. "We pull up the data code and run it through the printer. The printer reads the information, stores it, moves to where we tell it to, and creates exactly what it read in the system. It creates anything that isn't alive. Trees and animals we get back from Earth and people we have to do manual retrieval. It can take anywhere from a matter of seconds to hours, depending on resources and the file size. Why?"  
  
"It can't recreate people?" I must have sounded crestfallen because I could see an ounce of sympathy in her gaze.  
  
"We haven't had a successful run. It's too dangerous because if it doesn't work, the person dies. It was too risky to attempt outside of simulations."  
  
I mentally repeated what she said, committing to memory anything that might be useful. "How many printers do we have?"  
  
"Eleven that are active and one that was put out of duty. I don't think you could do anything with it, though. It's memory shot beyond all hell."  
  
Memory. That was something I could fix, if anything. "Where is it?"  
  
"Basement of the lab, but don't let the doctors know what you're planning or you're better off dead!" Hilde returned into the classroom, leaving me to review my plan in the hallway. There had to be a way to make it work. I went back outside, seeking out the one person I knew could help me.  
  
*~**~*  
  
The printer was actually smaller than I thought it would be. It looked like a mix between a mini-fridge and a copier with arms. Sure enough, when I plugged it into a power source, a red light flashed stating a memory error. I grabbed the tool kit I had swiped along with the printer and got to work. It didn't take long before I found the source of the problem. One of the chips looked like it had been melted. I frowned, taking a closer look. By the look of the partial fingerprint marking the edge, someone had melted it intentionally. But why?  
  
I removed the chip carefully, putting it in a plastic bag to be scanned at a later time. All the Specialists were fingerprinted. Finding the owner shouldn't be too difficult, but at the moment, it wasn't my top priority. Repairing the printer was. The extra chip I stole from a microwave, holding my breath as I activated the machine. The green light flashed steadily, notifying me that it was ready to receive the data. Everything seemed to be working, but I still needed a test run.  
  
I went over to my laptop, entering a simple program and sending it to the printer. A minute later, a plastic hairbrush was sitting in the tray. I smiled to myself. Obviously Hilde didn't know a lot about computers if she couldn't replace a simple chip. A nagging suspicion made me believe that Hilde had been the one to damage the printer in the first place, but I couldn't understand what her motive would be.  
  
I heard footsteps approaching the door, and from the pattern I could tell it was Duo. I quickly deactivated the printer, shoving it in the closet and locking the doors by the time Duo entered my room. His behavior had changed, acting like it was his fault that he hadn't told me and tried to force me away. He looked down at his feet shyly. Duo's sudden change in temperament broke my heart.  
  
"Hilde told me what you're going to try to do."  
  
"I was going to tell you," I began, still leaning against the closet door, "but I didn't want to get your hopes up this early on."  
  
Duo sighed. "You shouldn't waste your time. Everyone will be free of the system within the week and it'll be terminated. There are better things you could be doing."  
  
I shook my head fiercely. "I'm not going to lose you without a fight!" I didn't mean to shout, but Duo's attitude was disturbing me. He shouldn't just cave because the doctors made him think his fate couldn't be altered. I wasn't going to give up on him like they had.  
  
He smiled at me sadly. "You're such a kind person, Heero. Don't ever stop caring."  
  
"I'm not giving up," I said firmly.  
  
He reached up, stroking the side of my face, eyes still remorseful. "Just don't be too hard on yourself if you fail." I covered Duo's hand with mine, but he slipped out of my grasp, leaving as quietly as he had come in.  
  
*~**~*  
  
I entered the medical facilities, asking the woman at the desk where Sally Po was. The woman said she'd page Doctor Po, but she couldn't guarantee how quickly Sally could see me. I nodded, understanding. Sally was extremely busy with all the people we were retrieving from the system these days.  
  
A young girl with bright red hair and blue eyes watched me curiously from where she sat in the waiting room reading a book. "Are you the one that's going to save us?"  
  
I blinked, not understanding what the girl was asking. I remembered what Noin had said to me one of my first days here.  
  
["Heero Yuy, you're the one they said would save us."   
  
I turned to see who was addressing me. It was the dark-haired woman, Lucrezia Noin. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"*You're* the one the doctors have been talking about. They said we'd have problems once the project was near completion, and when they came, you'd be able to help." She had a look her eye that seemed to be challenging me to accuse her of lying.  
  
"Is that why I'm here?"  
  
Noin nodded. "Duo picked you; you must be the one."]  
  
"Who did you hear that from?"  
  
"Papa told me."  
  
I narrowed my eyes slightly, trying to figure out if everybody knew who I was or just her father.   
  
["He misses his daughter, though; hasn't seen her in a few years."]  
  
"You're Treize's daughter."  
  
She nodded her head, still smiling at me. "My name is Mariemaia. What's yours?"  
  
"Heero," I replied, frowning when she giggled.  
  
"Your parents must have known you were supposed to be our hero, Mister Heero."  
  
I smiled in response. She didn't seem like a bad kid. "What else did your father tell you?"  
  
"That you're the reason Mister Duo is sad."  
  
I was taken aback by her comment. Were people really thinking that about me? "I'm trying to make him happy."  
  
"Mister Duo smiles a lot when he comes to visit, but I can see in his eyes that he doesn't really mean it. I like Mister Duo. You shouldn't make him unhappy."  
  
"That's what I need to talk to Sally about. I have an idea on how to make Duo feel better, but I need her help in order to guarantee that it works."  
  
Mariemaia jumped out of her seat, surprising me by planting a kiss on my cheek. "Well, good luck, Mister Heero. I'll see you again soon." She walked down the hall, disappearing into one of the rooms.  
  
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Heero." I turned to see Sally wiping her hands on a towel. "We've been busy. I see that you've met Miss Khushrenada."  
  
I nodded. "She's quite intuitive."  
  
"Most children are," Sally smiled. "She should be with her parents right now, not here. Her cousin's having complications getting used to Earth and I fear the worst. They're really close. It would devastate Mariemaia if anything should happen." She sighed heavily. "So what can I help you with?"  
  
"I want to print Duo."  
  
I knew she hadn't been expecting me to say that when I heard a sharp intake of air. "Heero, that hasn't been done before, and it puts Duo *and* the system at such a high risk."  
  
"I know," I replied solemnly. "That's why I need your help. I need to know how you'd print a life form."  
  
Sally chewed her lower lip thoughtfully. "Well the printers need resources in order to create whatever they need to output. If I was going to print a chair I would check the printer's reservoir to make sure it had a sample of wood chips in order to create the chair from, so I'd imagine for a human or any type of animal you'd need a sample of that."  
  
"So I'd need to put a body in the reservoir?"  
  
"It seems that's what would be needed to be done. I don't know how that would work, though. Maybe if you just used a sample of stem cells..."  
  
"Stem cells?"  
  
"Blank cells," Sally elaborated, twirling her hand as she spoke. "They can become any and every specific cell in the body. In the past they were extremely important in scientific research for that reason, but people thought it was inhuman because it required aborting a fetus."  
  
"Where would I get a fetus?" It seemed fair, right? Sacrificing one for the life of another? "Unless you have stem cells sampled somewhere..."  
  
"I'll see what I can do, Heero - for Duo's sake and yours."  
  
*~**~*  
  
End Part 9 


	10. Part 10

+Title: Digital Bath - Part 10  
+Author: Vinyl Koneko (Emily), roguegirl@att.net  
+Rating: R  
+Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 5xM, 13x11, 6x9, R+1, H+2  
+Warnings: AU, yaoi, cyberpunk, possibly more lime in later parts  
+Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing because if I did I'd get rich auctioning it off on eBay... LOL, just kidding. I'd keep them for myself to make videos and become the real Sabintha. ^_~  
+Notes: //Thought//, *emphasis*, [flashback]. Some ideas may seem similar to "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson, "The Matrix", and "Digimon", but I swear that isn't what I'm going for. "Digital Bath" is a song by The Deftones.   
  
*~**~*  
  
Duo was separating himself from me, and while this gave me plenty of time to work on the printer, it left me feeling lonelier than ever. Somewhere between existing in the system and living on Earth, my friends stopped being enough. I needed the contact that Duo provided. As much as I hated to say it, I had grown somewhat dependent to Duo.  
  
I wasn't going to let him die.  
  
The doctors called me out of class one day, demanding that I join them in the laboratory. I knew I was delegating authority with my little side project, but no one was going to tell the doctors about it. Everyone loved Duo and wanted to do anything they could to help.  
  
I ran out of the schoolhouse, knowing well enough to hurry to the lab. The last thing I needed was the doctors onto me. I didn't know why they didn't want to try to help Duo, but I wanted to keep my plans a secret just in case they decided to be against it. When I reached the lab I stopped in the doorway, paralyzed. The doctors and nurses that now staffed the medical ward were pulling out the last of the citizens, leaving the system empty. Doctor J was the only person hovering around the server.  
  
"Heero," his gravelly voice sent shivers down my spine. "We're terminating the LSOS as soon as possible."  
  
"Why are you telling me this?" I glared, putting as much anger into my voice as I could.  
  
"We need to find Duo and Dorothy. They both need to be scanned into the system if we want to shut it down as a whole."  
  
"I thought you took Dorothy away. Her program malfunctioned; she shouldn't still be out."  
  
J frowned. "Well, she managed to unfreeze herself and it now running rampant on Earth. I probably should have told you sooner. She's the one killing all the people who are having difficulty adapting." Mariemaia's face sprung to mind. "You need to find them both before we can proceed." J's frown turned into an irritated scowl. "And this needs to be done quickly, before more people die!"  
  
I was torn. The printer wasn't complete yet. I wasn't positive if it would succeed in making Duo into the person he deserved to be, but while I tried to perfect my project, how many people would die because Dorothy went berserk?   
  
[She nodded her head, still smiling at me. "My name is Mariemaia. What's yours?"  
  
"Heero," I replied, frowning when she giggled.  
  
"Your parents must have known you were supposed to be our hero, Mister Heero."]  
  
Is this what they meant by complications? That I would have to choose between what my mind said and what my heart wanted? I swallowed hard, knowing what had to be done even though I loathed what it meant. I had to be the hero and save the people. I nodded, J smirking at my acceptance of his proposal.   
  
"Good," he turned around, grabbing what looked like a PDA that he handed to me. "This has a neutralizing program installed on it. You activate the program when Duo and Dorothy are within five meters. It scans their codes, pulling their physical forms into the PDA to be moved to the system. They are rendered inanimate - unconscious, if you will - and won't know what hit them. It's painless, even for a program."  
  
I was only partially paying attention to what he said. It didn't take a rocket scientist to activate a program. I had to hide all of my emotions; it would be more difficult for me otherwise. I didn't want to, but on some level I knew I needed to.  
  
*~**~*  
  
Finding Dorothy wasn't that difficult. She was in the park, watching people as they walked by on the paths, seeming to be listening to their conversations.  
  
"I know you're here for me, Heero Yuy," she said, eyes moving to catch mine. "J is a fool; I'm interconnected with every computer at Earth. I heard every word he said."  
  
"Then you know your actions won't be tolerated," I traced my thumb over the edge of the button on the PDA, not yet ready to activate the program. "You need to be terminated along with the system."  
  
"Don't you want to know how I've been doing it?"  
  
"Doing what?" I was on edge. I didn't know what kind of mind games Dorothy was trying to play.  
  
"How I'm killing the people. Aren't you the slightest bit curious?" I didn't respond. She continued anyway, brushing her long hair behind her shoulder. "I'm networked with every computer on Earth right now, Heero. It's not their bodies that shut down; it's the machines that's keeping them alive. Even sitting here right now I could be killing every single individual in that hospital."  
  
"Why?"  
  
She shrugged. "Programming error, most likely. We're not all perfect, even though the doctors will refuse to take the blame for anything we do. Or maybe I'm just so damn sick of Duo being the favorite." Dorothy grinned wickedly. "I could kill him myself, but I would prefer to be terminated knowing that you had to kill your beloved." I felt like she had just stabbed me in the back. "It's ironic, actually. Duo *chose* you to kill him."  
  
I pressed the button, activating the program. I was sick of listening to her talk. A red light shot out, scanning across, and then retracted just as quickly, sucking Dorothy into the PDA with it.  
  
"It's time for me to go now, isn't it?" I spun on a heel, turning to see who was behind me. It was Duo, his blue-violet eyes wide and moist. Dorothy was right. It looks like I was destined to be killed by you."  
  
"Duo," I blinked quickly, fighting away the tears that were threatening to gather. "I'm sorry."  
  
He shook his head, chestnut braid snapping in the air behind him. "No, I should apologize. I should have told you before; it would have been easier that way."  
  
"I doubt it could've been easier."  
  
Duo smiled sadly. "You're probably right. No matter how accepting I was of my inevitable termination, I knew it would never fully hit me until the moment actually came. I'm actually a little glad it's you, Heero. I'll remember how much you cared for me right before I'm wiped out completely."  
  
I slid the PDA in the pocket of my pants, reaching forward to cup Duo's face in both of my hands. I traced my thumb over the contours of his face before pulling his mouth towards mine, lips tentatively caressing. I was careful, deliberate. I wanted the moment to last forever. I could feel Duo's hands going to my hair, both of us trying to hold the other in place, trying to hide from what we knew was unavoidable. His lips parted under mine, and I proceeded to explore his mouth, committing the way he felt and tasted to memory. There was no way I could care for anybody else the way I cared for Duo. The recollections of the time we spent together would need to sustain me for the rest of my life.  
  
The tragedy of the situation wasn't that I had to kill the boy I loved; it was that even after my own death would I still never see him again. Even if a heaven did exist, Duo would not be able to go there because he wasn't dying. He was deleting. No matter how human he seemed, Duo was still a program, and it was the fact that I would never see him ever again that made this all the more painful.  
  
Duo moaned lightly, dragging my mind back to the present and away from the imminent future. I felt like a monster, having to kill a beauty such as this. Our mouths broke apart even though we still clung to each other. I could feel Duo's hands moving lower on my body, resting on my hips. I should have been paying better attention to what he was doing, but I didn't. Our heads were resting on each other's shoulders as I stroked his silky length of hair.  
  
"I love you," he breathed into my hair, hand quickly moving for my pocket.  
  
"Duo, no!" But it was too late. He had activated the program on himself, the red light shooting back out and pulling Duo into the PDA. My hands trembled as I looked at the screen. It read "Files Being Transferred". I collapsed to my knees, dropping the device in shock. I closed my eyes, willing away the tears, but the sound of Duo's voice whispering in my ear followed by him being torn away from Earth and into the PDA haunted my thoughts.  
  
I stood slowly, and without any second thought, I started to run. I had no particular destination in mind. I just needed to get away from myself.  
  
*~**~*  
  
Minutes passed but it seemed like hours. I ended up back in the medical ward, down the hall from the room where Treize's niece lay. A nurse walked by and I grabbed her arm. "Excuse me? Where's the girl that used to be here? Mariemaia's cousin?"  
  
"She was declared healthy a few minutes ago and just left. Why?"  
  
I ran back downstairs and skidded to a halt outside, catching sight of Mariemaia as she walked away hand-in-hand with a blonde girl no older than ten. Both were smiling and laughing. Mariemaia caught my gaze, waving and running over.  
  
"Mister Heero!" She smiled sweetly. "Did you save us? Leia and the others aren't sick anymore!"  
  
I sat down on a bench, suddenly feeling a lot heavier. I nodded mutely, forcing myself to smile for the girl. She must have noticed that I was faking, though, because Mariemaia went across the street to the park, picking a marigold and handing it to me shyly. "It must hurt to be a hero." The wisdom in her voice did not bypass me.  
  
"Thank you," I murmured back. She smiled, running back over to Leia so they could walk home together.  
  
"Heero..." I looked up to see Quatre, his hand balled up in a fist over his heart. "I just heard. I'm so sorry."  
  
"Is it done?"  
  
Quatre nodded. "Yeah. Instructor H just announced that the LSOS is no longer. I thought you might need a friend."  
  
I shook my head. "No, that's all right, Quatre. I'd rather be alone right now, if you don't mind."  
  
My blond friend patted my knee supportively. "If you need anything..."  
  
"You're here; I know."  
  
Quatre turned away slowly, watching to see if I'd change my mind. When I didn't say anything further, he continued down the street, leaving me alone in front of the hospital.  
  
*~**~*  
  
End Part 10 


	11. Epilogue

+Title: Digital Bath - Epilogue  
+Author: Vinyl Koneko (Emily), roguegirl@att.net  
+Rating: R  
+Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 5xM, 13x11, 6x9, R+1, H+2  
+Warnings: AU, yaoi, cyberpunk, possibly more lime in later parts  
+Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing because if I did I'd get rich auctioning it off on eBay... LOL, just kidding. I'd keep them for myself to make videos and become the real Sabintha. ^_~  
+Notes: //Thought//, *emphasis*, [flashback]. Some ideas may seem similar to "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson, "The Matrix", and "Digimon", but I swear that isn't what I'm going for. "Digital Bath" is a song by The Deftones.   
  
*~**~*  
  
I returned to my room well after dark. I paused with my hand hovering over the doorknob. There was voices coming from inside my room. I frowned. Female voices, at that. I glared through the door, pushing open the door so hard that it slammed into the wall, causing the people inside to jump.  
  
"Heero!" It was Relena. She rushed over to my side, grabbing my arm and ushering me to sit down.   
  
"What the hell are you doing in here?" I snapped, looking between Relena and Hilde who was leaned against the wall.  
  
"We knew the doctors were planning to terminate the system today," Relena began, sitting on the arm of the opposite chair. "Hilde and I were talking... We're sorry, Heero, for your loss. Duo was special to us all."  
  
"I was jealous," Hilde added. "I didn't see it as fair that you could be with Duo and I couldn't. I only felt better knowing that eventually we'd have to terminate Duo, and that was the only thing that made me feel better about not being about to let him know how much I cared."  
  
My eyes widened in shock. "The only thing that made you feel better about not being with Duo was the fact that eventually we'd kill him?"  
  
Hilde chewed her lip. "I'm not proud of that, okay! It wasn't until you asked me about the printer that I realized something could be done. I knew you'd go to Sally, so I spoke with her, and then Relena caught wind of the doctors going through with the termination today. We had to act."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
The door leading to my bathroom opened, and I was glad that I was sitting because I probably would have fallen otherwise. My attention was too focused on the figure in the doorway for me to fully pay attention to what the girls were saying.  
  
"You see, as much as I loved Duo," Hilde was still saying, "I realized that I didn't need him. I cared for him, yes, but we just weren't meant to be together. When I realized how much the two of you care for each other, it nearly broke my heart to realize how much pain you would be in."  
  
I looked over at Hilde, disbelieving. "You got the printer to work?"  
  
"It was a pain," Relena was smiling, "but we pretty much just followed your notes. It was stealing Duo's coding in mid-transmission to the system that was the hard part."  
  
I looked at the figure. "You knew about this?"  
  
His head shook, braid swaying from side-to-side. "I thought I was gone the second I activated the program."  
  
I wanted to go up and see if he was for real, but I was afraid the second that I moved it would be a dream or a mirage and I'd still be outside on the bench in front of the hospital, wallowing in my misery.  
  
Relena cleared her throat. "Well, perhaps we should leave you two alone."  
  
They left silently, smiling at us the whole time. My attention was drawn back to the figure in the shadows. "Step out so I can see you." He hesitated but moved forward into the room. He never seemed so beautiful as he did right then. "Duo..." He smiled at me, and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. "How do I know this is really happening?"  
  
Duo kept walking closer until we stood a mere arm's length away from each other. "Well, they say that seeing is believing." He started to unbutton his shirt from the top down. "But if you're still a little skeptical..." He turned, showing me his back and lowering the shirt to his midsection. The barcode was missing.  
  
I reached out tentatively, brushing my fingers over his shoulder blade. "Remind me," I breathed, moving closer to embrace him from behind. "Remind me to find a way to thank the girls sometime in the near future."  
  
He turned in my embrace; I grabbed his hands in my own, stepping back a little to take him all in. Duo looked exactly the same only now he was made out of blood, flesh, and bone. I didn't doubt it for a second. I grabbed his hair, slowly unraveling it until the length was cascading down his back, free from the confining braid. Duo's eyes were focused on me, expressing nothing besides unadulterated love. There was no sorrow, no fear.  
  
I smiled, convinced that Duo wasn't a figment of my imagination. "It looks like you're going to have to watch me grow old after all."  
  
"Yeah, well it looks like I'm going with you, lover," he winked at me. I was caught off guard when Duo threw himself in the air at my arms, forcing me to catch him before he fell. His legs were wrapped around my waist, holding onto the sides of my face to bring my gaze up to his own. "Love you."  
  
"I love you, too." When Duo bent down, capturing my mouth in his own, it dawned on me that recreating a society with many different cultures was going to be a long, arduous battle, but now that Duo was with us, for good, things were going to be a lot better. I moved over to the bed, lowering us down to the mattress without breaking the kiss. I couldn't help but smile at the thought of the look on the doctors' faces when they saw Duo again.  
  
Duo broke, panting. "What are you smiling about?"  
  
"Nothing," I lied, lowering myself to memorize every inch of Duo's body with my mouth.  
  
*~**~*  
  
Owari 


End file.
